Quiz Night Announced !!

Yes indeed !! We have finally confirmed our quiz nights for the weeks over Easter,during our "pie n a pint" Ale festival. On Tuesday April 7th and on Tuesday April 14th we will be featuring quiz nights as part of our Easter celebrations. Probing questions are being stolen from various sources as I type on a whole range of topics.

We have even found knowledgeable and fully qualified local celebrities to host the evenings In exchange for a few pints and a good feed. Folk will do some crazy things for a pint of ale and a good Grog n Gruel pie.

We have so many amazing prizes, yet to be confirmed, we couldn't list them all here. We can however guarantee that it is well worth popping along.

As always these are evenings in the Grog and Gruel are not to be missed. A great selection of cask ales, top notch food, and great company.... But will any of you be able to beat the local yacht club quiz team. The local "egg heads"....best start revising now.

Monster ceilidh band cancelled !!

Bad news indeed folks !! Just as I finished dusting off my dancing shoes I got a call to say that "The Monster Ceilidh Band" would be cancelling their gig on Thursday. They had a full week of Scottish dates planned with 3 gigs in one venue in Inverness over the week. Unfortunately this Inverness venue has pulled out last minute. As The Monsters are based in Newcastle a trip up north is only viable with a full list of dates.

Although the band were happy to travel up to keep the gig they had with us it would be a huge expense to them for a small gig. I tried to chat to other venues to fill the empty dates but few folk will get involved in such last minute bookings, especially in this economic climate. Well at least my dancing shoes are ready for the next time they are needed.

Monster Ceilidh Band

Our first Live music date of 2009 is approaching. Thursday 26th of February will see 'The Monster Ceilidh Band" raising the roof in The Grog and Gruel. This will be the first time 'The Monsters' have been to Fort William and it's a date not to be missed.



Although they will be returning later in the year, this will be the first time to listen to their new material as they start off on their Highland tour on their way into the North. A great night of music and ale guaranteed and as always "the best show in town!"

A Pie & a Pint

Coming soon..., news of our Easter Beer Festival which, building on the success of SausageFest 2008, will this year will follow the theme of the traditional pub staple, the Pie & the Pint!


The beer festival kicks off on Thursday 2nd April and will run over the Easter fortnight, finally winding down, or it that going out with a bang, on Saturday 18th April. Expect some good food, some excellent beer, and the odd bit of entertainment too.

More on the Blog and The Grog & Gruel web site diary page as we firm up plans. In the meantime we need to continue the painstaking research to ensure that we taste the pies and ales to ensure that they are worthy of inclusion. Hic, burp... etc.

'Open Mic' for Valentines

On Saturday the 14th of February The Grog and Gruel will be teaming up with Oxjam to host an open mic night. The aim of Oxjam is to raise money to help end poverty by way of music. Most of us have seen the efforts of our local Oxjam group in the High Street over the last few months, if you have wondered what it's all about or how to help this initiative then Saturday night will be a great opportunity.



Our past open mic nights have been a great success and we have always been 'surprised' by the talents hidden away in Lochaber. We've had everything from beat boxing, guitars, singing and (everyone's favourite) the German poetry. The German poetry was the only act to clear the pub. So don't be shy and come show us what you can do this weekend. Or just pop along for a listen and a pint.

New Ale for February

The first month of 2009 has been and gone. I'm starting to notice it getting a bit lighter in the mornings. However there are still some nice winter ales to be had to keep out the cold. During February we will be featuring Williams Brothers Midnight Sun. A dark spicy porter with and ABV of 5.8%.
Although not a new ale to The Grog and Gruel, it will be new to most folk. We cannot guarantee it will be on all the time in February due to the unreliability of trade at the moment being balanced with keeping top quality ales. Just another reason to keep popping into the Grog to see what ales are on offer today.

Now open 7 days a week!! (again)

Finally the darkest part of the winter is drawing to an end. All the major work has been done in preparation for "the green shoots" of recovery of the economy to be grasped. This means will be returning to our usual 7 days a week opening for both The Grog and Gruel bar and restaurant. The coming year seems to be shaping up well. Some good music booked, exciting ales coming from our local breweries, and lots of e mail enquiries.
If we were to listen to local and national reports we wouldn't be so optimistic however it has never been our way to follow trends but to set them. If the credit crunch is getting you down then there has never been a better time to raise your spirits with a pint of cask ale and a nachos. Maybe some of our optimism will rub off !

Mr Lover Lover

For all you romantics out there, we're now taking bookings for Valentine's Day, with the rather catchy and unique tag line of '... avoid a row with the missus.'

Not my idea, but it makes sense to me. So, come on, you know it makes sense too!